A man has come forward to say he was responsible for the drone that crashed In the White House grounds.
A US official says the man made contact with the Secret Service after reports of the overnight crash spread in the media. The man told the Secret Service he was using the drone recreationally and did not mean to fly it over the White House.
The man, a Washington resident, is said to be cooperating with investigators. Secret Service agents are now interviewing other people to corroborate the man’s story.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were in New Delhi.
Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said the device was a quadcopter and was about two feet (half a meter) in diameter. A quadcopter is an unmanned aircraft that is lifted by four propellers.
Mr Leary said the quadcopter was flying at a very low altitude before it crashed on the south east side of the executive mansion around 3.08am local time this morning.
Mr Leary said the White House complex was immediately locked down until the device was examined and cleared.